Between real fights at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, a ripped, shirtless Gyllenhaal entered the ring to shoot scenes in front of a live crowd for the Amazon Prime Video feature about an ex-UFC fighter. Former UFC fighter Jay Hieron and double champion Conor McGregor — who are also set to appear in the new “Road House” — participated in the event as well.
While filming a weigh-in scene, Gyllenhaal flexed his muscles for the audience and got into a scripted, physical altercation with Hieron, who plays his rival in the action flick. Footage from the event shows Gyllenhaal staring down and swatting at Hieron as part of the intense sequence.
“I can’t even believe I trained six weeks for this s—, to fight this piece of s—,” Gyllenhaal says in character during the staged weigh-in. “Just gimme the belt now. Come on, motherf—, let’s go!”
Gyllenhaal and Hieron also faced off in the ring, pretending to dodge and pummel each other as the director called out cues and the audience went wild. Another clip from the event shows a camera crew following Gyllenhaal as he strutted into the arena wearing UFC warm-up gear.
Gyllenhaal is no stranger to the ring (albeit of the square-shaped variety, not an Octagon), having played a boxer in the 2015 Antoine Fuqua-directed drama “Southpaw.”
Directed by Doug Liman, the upcoming “Road House” movie is based on the ‘80s cult classic of the same name starring Patrick Swayze as a bar bouncer with a violent past. Daniela Melchior and Billy Magnussen are also among the cast of the “Road House” revival.
See more behind-the-scenes photos from UFC 285 below.